1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to product dispensing equipment and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to methods and an apparatus for switching from a first fluid line to a second fluid line without depressurizing the complete fluid system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Historically, the beverage dispensing industry revolved around the reconstitution of syrup concentrates with carbonated water. Consumers often were offered a multitude of soda flavors with a single non-carbonated option in a beverage dispenser. With changing philosophies in the areas of health and nutrition, product dispensing suppliers have been forced to offer a wider variety of products through basically the same interface, a beverage dispenser. Presently, it is common to see beverage dispensers delivering multiple non-carbonated beverages, such as lemonades, teas, sports drinks, and the like.
This changing trend has caused some challenges, as the life expectancy of a beverage dispenser is approximately seven to ten years. Many times older dispensers are not outfitted with product and diluent lines for every possible product valve combination. While newer beverage dispenser designs do take into consideration the possibility of switching between diluents, switching across two media paths provides the possibility of a leak across the switching mechanism, and a compromised mixture upon dispensing.
Similar considerations arise when switching from a chilled product to an ambient product, or the opposite. When utilizing a cold plate to chill product lines in a beverage dispenser, manufacturers are forced to commit fluid media flow paths to delivering either a chilled fluid or an unchilled fluid. Further, fluid lines must be committed to delivering either a carbonated fluid or an uncarbonated fluid. As the allocation of fluid paths is somewhat inflexible, changing of a product valve to deliver a chilled drink instead of an ambient drink, or a carbonated drink instead of an uncarbonated drink, may be difficult, or simply impossible. In most cases, the entire pressure system of the product fluids must be depressurized to manipulate product lines.
Accordingly, an apparatus that provides some flexibility in allowing customers to reconfigure the product valves of a product dispenser to deliver either chilled or ambient products on location without depressurizing the entire system would be beneficial to dispenser manufacturers, dispenser owners, as well as the producers of the product concentrates.